INDIANA – The Department of Natural Resources asks residents to report a Spotted Lanternfly if they see it.
DNR has confirmed the invasive insect has been spotted in these Indiana counties – Huntington and Switzerland County, near the Ohio River, Elkhart, St. Joseph, and Porter.
The Spotted Lanternfly, a native of China, parts of Indiana, Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan, is a major pest. It likes to feed on the vascular tissue of leaves, branches, and trunks of native trees. They also feed in large groups causing serious issues to native plants and trees, from spreading disease, causing wounds on the plants and eventually killing the trees and plants they feed on.
DNR asks if you spot this insect report it immediately to the DNR Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology at 1-866-NO-EXOTIC or submit a photo to DEPP@dnr.IN.gov.
